


The Stribor Forest

by heterocosmica



Series: Happy Snape family AU [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Curses, Dialogue-Only, F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings, Family, Motherhood, Romani Eileen Prince, Russian Tobias Snape, Snakes, Story within a Story, Tags:, a bit of flirting, badly translated fairy tales, don't want to spoil future fics so that's all you get, or quite literally a
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-29 10:22:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19017973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heterocosmica/pseuds/heterocosmica
Summary: Eileen tells Tobias the story of the Stribor Forest.*Set shortly after they met but before they started courting. Some time in 1958.





	The Stribor Forest

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the Happy Snape family AU. This is the first piece of writing I'm publishing as a part of this AU but there will certainly be more (though most likely not in chronological order, I tried, it just wasn't working for me). If you want to check out more of this AU (including the edits) check out my [tumblr tag for it](http://heterocosmica.tumblr.com/tagged/snape-family). Hope you have as much fun with this as I am!
> 
> *
> 
> comments on my fics are always moderated, hate will not be published, if you don't like Snape just don't read this

No, don't _laugh_ at me now. I am telling you, I'm very good at languages. I pick them up easily.

*pause*

Come on, say something in Russian! I'll show you.

"Ты такая странная..."

_Stranaja_? Does that mean foreign? Or distant?

"It means strange."

*laughter*

How am I _strange_? I've always considered myself almost _abundantly_ average.

"Average? I have never met _anyone_ less average than you."

I will take that as a compliment then.

*pause*

_Ko nekad u osam i sad prođem ulicom tvojom... la la lala, la la lala..._ Come on, sit down, I'll tell you a story.

"A story?"

A fairy tale. I've always loved fairy tales. We've traveled a lot, I got to meet a lot of different people. Hear a lot of different stories.

"Alright. Tell me a story."

One day, a young man walked into the Stribor forest without knowing that the forest was charmed. Enchanted- Cursed- you understand?

"Cursed, yes, alright."

_Right_. And the forest had to be cursed until there came a person who would rather have their own troubles than _all_ the happiness in the world.

"Is this one of those 'you have to be grateful for everything you get' type of stories?"

Oh, _honestly_ , will you just let me tell it?

*sigh*

So the young man chopped some wood before sitting down on a wood stump to rest. While he was resting, a snake crawled out of the stump and started cuddling up to him. But, this _wasn't a regular snake_!

*pause*

I'm waiting for you to gasp.

"Oh, sorry. *gasp* _NO_!"

Excellent! Well, this snake was actually a cursed person, stuck as a snake because of their misdeeds. And the curse could only be broken by whoever married her.

"Her? It's a she?"

Well, obviously. It's a Slavic story. You can't have a man cursed to be a snake. The only times men are snakes in Slavic stories is when their mothers are cursed to give birth to them.

"There's a story where a woman is cursed to give birth to a snake?"

There are multiple and it's less of a _curse_ and more of a _punishment_ for using some sort of magic or ritual to get pregnant.

"Huh...that seems a bit cruel."

Yes, well, it usually goes off fine. He's always just a man during the night. You know, so he could have a wife. Those types always end up with a wife. Usually a poor but beautiful and devoted girl.

"Hardworking too, I assume?"

Well, obviously.

"Yeah, that sounds a little more like the stories my mother used to tell me."

Your mother used to tell you stories?

"Yes. Back when I was younger. Back when she- _liked_ remembering her youth. It's hard, I think, living in diaspora. For her especially. *pause* She used to sing in Russian all the time. Now she tries not to use it if she can help it. *pause* Britain isn't exactly what my parents thought it would be."

I can understand that. My family keeps close but, some five years ago when my older sister ran off to marry a gadjo she was forced to... to cut all ties. With us. I sometimes manage to meet her. We speak. Not often but we do. And she is... trying so hard to assimilate. To be one of them. She refuses to let me speak of our family. Or in our language. Every time I see her she looks less like my sister.

*pause*

Anyway, where was I?

"The snake."

Right, the snake. The snake was a cursed woman and her curse could only be broken by someone marrying her, so she thought she could get this young man to do it.

When he saw the snake, he was charmed, so much so that he exclaimed 'What a wonderful little snake! I'd take it home if I could!' and, seeing her chance, the snake turned from a snake into a beautiful woman. However, since she was thinking about the man maliciously as she turned, a snake tongue stayed in her mouth.

Excitedly, the woman said 'Here I am, take me home and marry me!'

And the young man, shy and kind, agreed. You know, since she already went through all the trouble of turning into a woman for him. He figured it would be rude. Then, as one does, he took her home to his mother.

*pause*

Now, the mother was older, and wiser, and she _instantly_ knew the woman had a snake tongue in her mouth. I don't actually know how one being older would make them more capable of spotting a snake tongue in someone's mouth but, that's neither here nor there. The mother knew, the son didn't, that's the point. So the mother said 'I'm glad you're getting married, it's about time, but your bride is a snake'.

Of course, since the son didn't know about the tongue, he just assumed that his mother was a witch and started hating her straight away. It's the only rational thing he could have done.

"Right, of course."

Well, his bride is obviously awful. She ate constantly and was extremely picky and pushy and bosy and mean. Then one day she asked her mother in law to get her the clean snow from the top of a nearby cliff so she could wash her face. The poor woman told her 'there's not even a road to there' and the daughter in law-

"The snake?"

Right, of course, the snake just said 'just follow a goat, it'll know'.

" _No_! If someone told my mother that she'd slap them.'

Oh, mine would too but this was a very patient woman. Her son laughed too, so she felt bad and then decided to go. She thought maybe she would die, but she didn't fear it. At some point, she wanted to pray, but she didn't want God to find out her son was a bad son.

"Wow."

Exactly. She was so ashamed.

"Poor woman."

You wouldn't treat your mother like that, would you?

"Do I look like I want to have my head cracked by a wooden spoon? I'm not stupid."

I only have _your_ word for that.

"Oh, get that grin off your face."

You don't like my smile? And here I thought that I...oh what did you say? _Had a smile 'as radiant as a sun and as gentle as the moon'._

*laughter*

"I am never going to compliment you again if you keep using it against me."

Alright, alright, fine, I was at the cliff, right?

*pause*

"Right."

Are you pouting? Oh, don't pout, I'm sorry.

"It's fine, continue your story."

Are you sure? You know I'm only teasing you? I wouldn't mock you Tobi, I promise.

*sigh*

"So, the old lady goes to the cliff?"

Yes. She goes to the cliff, brings back the snow, the daughter in law washes her face with it. It's the basic fairy tale model.

"So there are going to be two more challenges?"

Before the next part, yes.

The next day the daughter in law asks for a- I don't know the word in English. It's a fish. The one with the _things_. On the head?

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

You know. _The fish_. Everyone eats it. It's greasy when it gets big. Has those things on its face. You _must_ know.

"Trout?"

No! Why would it be trout? Trout is not greasy and they have _nothing_ on their face. Do you even _know_ what a trout looks like?

"Not really. I'm not a fish... man. I don't... _know fish_ , you know? _How would I?_ "

You _know_ what I'm talking about. It has those, you know, those... Those whis- CATFISH! A _catfish_!

"Was I _really_ supposed to guess catfish from your explanation?"

Shush! The old lady then had to get a catfish from the middle of a frozen lake for her daughter in law. She still doesn't pray because she's still ashamed before God, but she doesn't die.

Third day, she sits down to stitch up her son's shirt but the daughter in law gets mad and forbids her from doing it and that's when the lady snaps and goes to sit outside in the snow and pray.

Instantly, a girl comes with her clothes all torn up and asks the old lady if she wanted to buy some kindling. The lady says she has no money but offers to stitch up the girl's clothing and the mystery girl that-

"Who."

What?

"It's 'who' when you're talking about people, 'that' when you're talking about everything else."

Are you sure?

"Did you not go to school? _Write essays?_ "

Of course I did. I went to school in Scotland. But I don't remember anyone ever fixing my grammar. Are you sure it's 'who'? Does it have to be 'who'? It sounds... off.

"It's 'who' I'm sure. They taught us that in English class. *pause* It's like you never took English."

I didn't.

"How? You just said you went to school in Scotland."

It wasn't that kind of school.

" _What_ do you-"

You know, if you keep interrupting me, I'll never finish this story.

So the mystery girl who just appeared agrees to trade a bundle of kindling for clothes fixing and leaves. And then she's just... gone. And the old lady goes back inside, I think.

"You think?"

It's not an important part of the story but I wanted to add a little continuity.

"Ah. Good. Continue."

' _Continue_ '

*snort*

_Yes, professor._

*laughter*

"Will you stop? *laughter* I'm _invested_ now, you have to finish the story."

Alright, alright, so that evening the son and daughter in law go to a dinner at her- kuma, you know, kuma.

"No, I don't know that word."

You don't? Huh, I would have sworn that translated to Russian...

It's the woman who stands by the bride at the wedding. The bride's witness.

"Maid of honor. I think that's what it's called in English."

Well, great. They go to the maid of honor's house because the daughter in law eats a lot and always goes when invited over for free food and the mother gets told to heat up water before they get home.

She starts the fire and uses the kindling that girl gave her before heading off to get the wood. As she's coming back, she hears tapping near the fire. Spooked, she asks 'Who is it?' and the answer comes 'Domestics, we're Domestics!'

Confused, she walks into the kitchen and sees a bunch of little gnomes, dancing around the fire. They're wearing red hats and clothes, have long grey hair and beards, and eyes dark and burning like coal. And they dance, dance, dance, spilling and breaking everything.

"Oh no..."

*laughter*

But the woman doesn't mind. She's joyful, too. Happy that God had sent her happiness to comfort her. She feels like a little girl, suddenly, jumping in, dancing with the Domestics.

Still, there's a heaviness in her heart so deep that it stops the music and all the joy. The Domestics sit around her and she tells them about her problems, about her daughter in law and all the pain she'd brought her. She tells her story and one of them... Malik, says 'I'll help you!'

He tells her he'll bring magpie eggs, put them under the hen, and when they hatch, the daughter in law would stick her tongue out in hunger and the son would finally see what she was.

**Suddenly!** The daughter in law and son come in!

*gasp*

But the Domestics are _quick_. They all disappear into the fire except for Malik who hides in the soot.

"Yessss..."

The daughter in law is suspicious, though, so she asks why the fire flared like that but the mother is smart and quick on her feet so she says 'The wind picked up when you opened the door'. Squinting, the daughter in law gets closer to the hearth and asks what the red thing in the ashes is, pointing to Malik's little heel poking out. The mother responds instantly 'That's just a spark'. Still, the daughter in law doesn't believe her so she gets really close and Malik takes that opportunity to kick her in the cheek. With a yelp, she jumps back and asks what that was but, the mother is still on top of everything so she says 'A piece of coal popped' while Malik is quietly giggling in the soot.  
When the daughter in law leaves, the old lady shows Malik where the hen is and he goes off to find magpie eggs and switch them with the chicken eggs.

*pause*

"And?"

I'm getting ready for the next part. It's called _dramatic flair_.

*laughter*

"Well, alright then, _flare away_."

Do _not_ laugh at me Tobias. I'm developing tension, like _all_ great story tellers do.

"I wasn't laughing at you."

*snort*

"I wasn't, I swear."

*pause*

I'm going to stop the story if you're going to be mean about it.

"I'm not, I'm not, I promise. Not another word from me."

*pause*

"But she'll expose the daughter in law, right? And then they'll send her away?"

Will you _wait_ , I'm getting to that.

*pause*

Right. The chickens are about to hatch so the daughter in law calls the whole village. She wants to show off as the only person with chicks in the middle of the winter. And the whole village gathers. In front of the whole village, the magpies hatch and the daughter in law lets out her tongue, jumping after the magpies to everyone's screams.

"Ha! Knew it!"

In that moment, the mother turned to the son, waiting to embrace him, telling him 'Now you know who she is, you can send her away.' but the son in his shame and stupidity asks 'Where did you even get magpies this time of year you witch?!' and sends her away.

"No! What? No... Why would he-?"

It's a fairy tale, the happy ending is supposed to be hard won.

"And it was! She suffered. That's enough."

So you want me to stop?

"Well, not now. You have to tell all of it now."

Then stop interrupting.

"I would but you keep pausing. Honestly, it's like listening to a serial radio drama. Just get _on_ with it."

Fine, fine, the old lady leaves, carrying the leftover kindling from that girl and a little bit of bread. Suddenly, the house becomes cold. The fire dies and the son finally feels the guilt for treating his mother the way he did. He wants to follow her but, he can't say it like that in front of his wife so he says 'Lets follow mother and see her die from the cold.'

"Oh good Lord!"

So they bundle up and follow along.

Eventually, the old lady gets too cold to walk so she settles down and starts a fire with the little of the kindling she still had and, to her delight, the Domestics come out. Happy to not be alone, she sits with them and tells them her troubles, asking for help.

Stumped, the Domestics sit in silence for a while until Malik suggests they go to Stribor, their Head. Quickly, they rain up squirrels for themselves and a deer for the old lady and ride off to the Stribor forest to speak with Stribor.

The son and daughter in law following them all along. The daughter in law fills with glee, remembering her own curse and thinking 'The old lady is going to get it now!' forgetting entirely all of her own sins that led her to get cursed.

Eventually, the deer brings the old lady to Stribor, the forest Head. Stribor sits in an old pine, so big that it contains seven golden castles and a village surrounded by silver fence. The Domestics tell Stribor all about the old lady's troubles and Stribor laughs, turning to her. 'Don't worry about your daughter in law, let her stew in her evil ways. I can easily help you. Look over there.' He says, motioning to the village. And when the old lady looked at it, she saw the village she grew up in, celebrating. 'Just go on, cross the fence and clap your hands and you will instantly be young again and able to join in the joy and festivities.'

In glee, the woman ran to the village and grabbed the gate before stopping to turn to Stribor 'What will come of my son?' she asked, worried.

'Oh, what should you care? You won't know about him, you'll be _young_ again.' Stribor told her.

Slowly, the woman stepped back from the gate and turned to Stribor. 'Thank you, Lord, for everything you have offered me' she said 'but I would rather stay in my misery and know my son than have all the happiness in the world but forget him.'

*gasp*

Suddenly, the forest rang with a howl. Stribor, the Domestics and his pine were swallowed by the ground, and the daughter in law turned into a snake again. There was no one there anymore but mother and son.

Falling to his knees, the son started kissing his mother's hands and begging her and God for forgiveness. Slowly, the two of them headed back home.

*pause*

"So that's it?"

Yes, that is it.

"Well."

Well? Did that make the time pass?

"I- guess."

You could tell me a story now? We could trade them.

"You know I like it better when you are the one speaking."

Do you? Really?

*pause*

So, did you like the story?

"I- y- yes. I did."

Do I get a reward then? For a good story? For _entertaining you_?

"I- have a threepence if you want it?"

*laughter*

Is that all the money you have?

"At the moment."

Then I cannot leave you destitute. You must give me something else.

"What else do I have? Do you want my shirt?"

I want a promise.

"A promise?"

That you'll meet me by the river. Tonight.

"Tonight?"

After sundown.

"What would a good girl be doing with a bloke like me, alone, after sundown?"

Who ever said I was a good girl?

"Maybe I was hoping you were."

Then you ought to look somewhere else.

*pause*

So you'll meet me?

*pause*

"Yes."

_Good_. I will- I'll just see you then. Tonight. After sundown. Do not forget.

*pause*

Promise you will _not_ forget.

"I won't. I promise."

**Author's Note:**

> My apologies to Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić and her wonderful book which I have cherished since I was a tiny little child, and especially my very favourite fairy tale of all time, Šuma Striborova.  
> *  
> Welcoming feedback!


End file.
